Founder Laura Cooksey's approach to acne is unlike any other I have ever found. After studying her particular methods, protocols, and in-depth product/ingredient training, I passed her required exam (most companies don't require any test at all) and became a Certified Acne Specialist in August, 2011.
Here is a summary of our approach to treating acne:
- Acne is a genetic disease of the pore, inherited from one or both of our parents. If a person is pre-disposed to this condition, there are many aggravating factors that can cause acne flare-ups, two of the most common being hormones and stress.
- In normal skin, pores shed one layer of dead skin cells each day. In acne-prone skin, skin can shed up to 5 layers a day. To make matters worse, acne-prone skin lacks the ability to shed the dead skin cells on it's own (a condition called retention hyperkeratosis). This leads to a situation where dead skin cells, and then bacteria, get trapped inside the pores of the skin, resulting in varying degrees of acne lesions.
- Our approach to treating acne is two-fold: Combat acne lesions on a daily basis by using varying strengths of products that cause the skin to shed, while also being anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory; and receive regular skin treatments to remove pore impactions as they rise to the surface of the skin.
- Acne-prone skin is tricky, and quickly builds an immunity to active products. This is why many products, and even antibiotics, will seem to work at first, but then will rarely keep the condition under control permanently. With our approach, we have clients start on the lowest-strength active products (usually Benzyl Peroxide and Mandelic Acid), introduce the products into the skin slowly at first, and about every month thereafter, increase the strength of these products. This method, when used diligently, stays one step ahead of acne-prone skin at all times, and, in most cases, dis-allows new acne lesions to form.
- I always remind my clients to be very patient with this process, and not to give up! This method, when followed specifically, has the highest success rate in treating acne that I have ever found, even higher than that of dermatologists and antibiotic treatments. This has also been my personal experience. The process can take up to 3 months to get acne under control. This is simply because it can take an acne lesion anywhere from 1 to 3 months to rise to the surface of the skin, and the skin will continue to "purge" until it is completely cleaned out.
- I often use the analogy that when a person has diabetes, they have to manage their insulin levels every day. When a person has acne, they have to manage their pores every day, period. I hope this perspective motivates people to stick with the program and products!
The very best of luck, Rebecca
